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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26198557">Until Dawn: Interviews</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/robbie_writes/pseuds/robbie_writes'>robbie_writes</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>After Dawn [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>The Inpatient (Video Game), Until Dawn (Video Game)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Amputation, Anxiety, Anxiety Attacks, Anxiety Disorder, Background Relationships, Blood and Injury, Canon Compliant, Depression, Developing Relationship, Eventual Romance, Everybody Lives, Everyone Lives (Until Dawn), Friends to Lovers, Friendship, Friendship/Love, Gen, Ghosts, Gun Violence, Half-Wendigo Character(s) (Until Dawn), How Do I Tag, I Will Go Down With This Ship, I'm Bad At Tagging, Implied/Referenced Suicide, Injury, Inspired By Until Dawn (Video Game), Interviews, Josh Washington Has Mental Health Issues, Major Character Injury, Major Character(s), Mental Breakdown, Mental Health Issues, Minor Ashley Brown/Chris Hartley, Minor Character Death, Minor Injuries, Minor Mike Munroe/Jessica Riley, Minor Sam Giddings/Beth Washington, Paranoia, Past Relationship(s), Past Violence, Police, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Post-Until Dawn (Video Game), Prequel, References to Depression, Relationship(s), Romance, Romantic Friendship, Schizophrenia, Schizophrenic Josh Washington, Serious Injuries, Slow Romance, Spoilers, Suicide Attempt, Trauma, Until Dawn (Video Game) Is Its Own Warning, Wendigo, Wendigo Hannah Washington, Wendigo Josh Washington</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-08-30</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-09-04</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 07:07:06</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>7</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>15,889</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26198557</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/robbie_writes/pseuds/robbie_writes</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>*This story contains spoilers for the video game Until Dawn*</p><p>The clock hit 7 AM and marked the rescue of our beloved Samantha Giddings, Michael Munroe, Jessica Riley, Christopher Hartley, Ashley Brown, Matthew Taylor, and Emily Davis. Now that the park rangers have saved them, the police want answers, and it's going to take all morning to get them.</p><p>Among the questions asked repeatedly are: "Who was the psycho?" "What is a Wendigo?" "Wait...what?" It's gonna take the police a while to get a grasp on this whirlwind of a story.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Ashley Brown &amp; Chris Hartley, Ashley Brown/Chris Hartley, Emily Davis &amp; Matt Taylor (Until Dawn), Emily Davis/Matt Taylor (Until Dawn), Jessica Riley &amp; Matt Taylor (Until Dawn), Jessica Riley/Matt Taylor (Until Dawn), Mike Munroe &amp; Jessica Riley, Mike Munroe/Jessica Riley, Sam Giddings &amp; Beth Washington, Sam Giddings &amp; Mike Munroe, Sam Giddings/Beth Washington, Sam Giddings/Mike Munroe</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>After Dawn [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1902574</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>44</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Ashley | Room 1 | 9:17 AM</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Ever wish the interviews during the credits of the game were more in-depth? Here's your chance to see how they went! Hear the story from everyone's point of view, or choose to see the events through the eyes of your favorite character.</p><p>If you're expecting fully fleshed-out chapters, that's not what this is. This isn't from anybody's point of view, this is merely the conversation log, so you won't be knowing the characters' thoughts as they speak to one another.</p><p>Enjoy! Feel free to add suggestions :)</p>
    </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Apologies for the constant run-on sentences and stuttering, but that's just how Ashley is when she's freaking out. Not all of the interviews are going to be like this, so no need to worry.</p><p>I: means that the interviewer is speaking. A: means that Ashley is speaking.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>I: Take a seat, Ashley.<br/>
A: What- what is this?<br/>
I: We just need to ask you some questions about what happened tonight.<br/>
A: What do you need me to tell you?<br/>
I: Everything. Starting with why the eight of you returned to the lodge.<br/>
A: Well, we- we just wanted to hang out, you know? Josh invited us up here and-<br/>
I: So, it was Josh who invited you?<br/>
A: His parents gave it to him, didn’t they? For Christmas?<br/>
I: We have no record of that.<br/>
A: His parents, they didn’t want to use it anymore after Hannah and Beth.<br/>
I: And?<br/>
A: They said they’d keep paying for it until he could, but they didn’t want to go back anymore, so they said he could use it however he wanted.<br/>
I: And you haven’t had contact with Mr. and Mrs. Washington?<br/>
A: No. I mean, not really. They haven’t really been around much since…<br/>
I: Since the twins’ deaths?<br/>
A: Well, we think- I mean, maybe...I wasn’t the one who saw it, Emily was down there and then it was Sam and Mike and- They think that maybe Hannah didn’t die in the fall.<br/>
I: Are you saying that Hannah is alive?<br/>
A: No. I mean, yes? I mean- (sigh) No, she isn’t alive. She was in the lodge.<br/>
I: In the lodge?<br/>
A: So much happened, it was all so fast and there was so much going on and I ran as soon as their eyes were off me because I was so scared, and I just- She never came out, so…<br/>
I: So, Hannah was alive, and Sam killed her in the fire?<br/>
A: What? No, no, that’s not what happened. Sam saved us, she waited for us to get out and then she ran, she didn’t kill Hannah, she just- I don’t- I don’t know what you want me to say, I just…<br/>
I: Go back for me. When did things first start going wrong?<br/>
A: Josh wanted to use this spirit board thing and after Chris found it, we were playing and we thought- Well, it sounded like maybe it was Hannah talking to us.<br/>
I: You said Hannah was alive.<br/>
A: She is. Or, she was. Or...maybe, I don’t- It might have been Josh, but I don’t know. We didn’t know it was him.<br/>
I: You didn’t know who was Josh?<br/>
A: Josh was the psycho, but we didn’t know that, and we kept seeing these ghosts, but- Well, Sam and I found things and it made it...Josh was the one doing it the whole time, so he could have been moving the pointer, but maybe it wasn’t him? I don’t know.<br/>
I: And what did this spirit board tell you?<br/>
A: I’m not crazy. I swear, I’m not- It- It told us that it was Hannah and that she was killed and when we asked her who it was, it said that there was proof in the library.<br/>
I: Proof that Josh was moving the pointer?<br/>
A: No, not about Josh, about how she died.<br/>
I: In the fire?<br/>
A: No, you’re not listening to me. Proof of how she and Beth died, but only they didn’t die- Or Beth did, but not Hannah- Or...I don’t know, I don’t even know.<br/>
I: Did you go to the library?<br/>
A: Well, Chris and I went and Josh- he was upset, so he left, but Chris- We went to the library and there was this button and when I pushed it, the books moved and there was this passage.<br/>
I: What was inside?<br/>
A: Well, I didn’t go in, it was Chris and he- He came back with this note and it was all red and scratchy and it was this creepy stuff about waiting for Hannah and Beth and bleeding them and it just- It was so terrifying and I didn’t know what to think.<br/>
I: Is it possible that Chris wrote the note?<br/>
A: No, no. Chris wasn’t involved, it was Josh. Josh put that letter there.<br/>
I: You said Josh didn’t come with you to the library.<br/>
A: He didn’t. He- He was in the kitchen and we went to go find him to show him the note, but we heard him screaming and I went in and this guy in a mask hit me and then I woke up in this shed and-<br/>
I: A shed? Where was Chris?<br/>
A: The maniac, he closed the door when I came in and when I woke up, I was in the shed with Josh and there was this saw and-<br/>
I: You said Josh was the maniac.<br/>
A: He is! Or, he was, but we didn’t know. We didn’t know that it wasn’t really him and when Chris came in, there was this tape recording and it played and it said he had to choose between me and Josh.<br/>
I: The maniac did?<br/>
A: No, Chris had to choose and he- He hit his head and so he, he was confused and he just- He chose to save me, but he didn’t want to choose. And then the saw, it came and it- It just cut him.<br/>
I: Who?<br/>
A: Well, it cut Josh, but it wasn’t really Josh. I don’t know what he did, but he wasn’t dead, but we didn’t know. We thought he was really dead and we ran and we saw Matt and Emily and we told them what happened.<br/>
I: And what did they do?<br/>
A: They went to go to the cable car, but they didn’t actually go there, or maybe they did? I don’t even know, because Em- Well, she didn’t come from the cable car, she came from the mines.<br/>
I: The mines?<br/>
A: Look, I- I don’t know. When they left, Chris and I- We went looking for Sam in the lodge, but she wasn’t there.<br/>
I: Where was she?<br/>
A: Well, she was taking a bath when we did the spirit board, but when we came back, she wasn’t there and we think she went into the basement.<br/>
I: Why would she go there?<br/>
A: The maniac- Or...it was Josh, Josh chased her down there.<br/>
I: You said Josh was cut by the saw.<br/>
A: (starts to cry) But he wasn’t! You don’t understand! He was- he wasn’t cut, he was alive! And he just, he- he was crazy and he did all this stuff and-<br/>
I: Ashley, you need to take a breath.<br/>
A: We- we were in that basement and- and we found this tunnel under the lodge and it was- it was…<br/>
I: Stop. Take a minute. You need to breathe, okay?<br/>
A: (sobs)</p>
<h4>Cut in the tape</h4><p>I: So, you were in the basement…<br/>
A: Chris and I, we went looking for Sam and it just kept going and going. We found Hannah’s diary and we saw ghosts and this dollhouse with- Well, it looked like us, it looked like us the night of the prank.<br/>
I: What prank?<br/>
A: The one from last year, before Hannah ran away. The dolls were set up to look like we did when we did that.<br/>
I: You mentioned that there was a tunnel under the lodge. Can you tell me about that?<br/>
A: Well, the basement, it kept going and there were so many rooms. There was just one after another and eventually there were more stairs and I didn’t want to go, but we had to find Sam. We found this sign and it was talking about this hotel and a sanatorium and we think we were in the tunnel between them.<br/>
I: What tunnel?<br/>
A: I’m telling you, there’s a tunnel that goes between the sanatorium on the other hill and the hotel that used to be where the lodge is.<br/>
I: And this is where you found Sam?<br/>
A: No. Well, we didn’t find Sam, she found us, but we didn’t know where she was. She just- So, we were in the tunnel and I saw the maniac in another room and he had all these cameras and he was watching us.<br/>
I: Josh?<br/>
A: Yes, yes, but we didn’t know it was him yet.<br/>
I: When did you find out it was him?<br/>
A: I found Chris again and there was this weird dummy thing with Sam’s clothes and we were so confused and then- Then the psycho was just there and he gassed Chris.<br/>
I: What did you do?<br/>
A: I- I stabbed him and I tried to get away but I didn't know, I swear I didn't know!<br/>
I: Didn't know...? Who did you stab?<br/>
A: Oh I-I stabbed the maniac, I didn't know it was Josh, but then he was the Psycho and how was I supposed to know Josh had all the saws and the gun and oh my god.<br/>
I: What happened when you stabbed him?<br/>
A: I couldn’t get away, I was just- I wasn’t fast enough and he hit me, and when I woke up, I was tied up again, and Chris was, too.<br/>
I: Where was Josh?<br/>
A: I don’t know. He was close, but we couldn’t see him, but we could hear him talking to us. And there was this gun on the table and Chris had to choose, and- I tried- I tried to tell him to shoot me because he already saved me, but he didn’t listen.<br/>
I: What did he have to choose? Why would he shoot you?<br/>
A: Josh was telling us that he could either kill himself or me, but if he didn’t then these saws were going to kill us, so he had to choose, but he didn’t choose me.<br/>
I: Are you saying Chris shot himself?<br/>
A: He tried, but he didn’t know...The gun had blanks in it, so it didn’t do anything. And after he pulled the trigger, Sam and Mike came in, and-<br/>
I: Sam and Mike? Where did they come from?<br/>
A: Well, Mike was in the sanatorium and Sam, she got away from Josh and she was in the tunnel, too, but there were so many rooms we didn’t know where she was. But then they came in, and then Josh- That’s when he came out and took off the mask and we found out that he was the psycho.<br/>
I: What happened then?<br/>
A: Sam and Mike came to untie us and Josh was saying all this crazy stuff about his sisters and fear and going viral and it was all just so...Chris said he was off his meds and Sam said it was obvious it was him because I guess she found some stuff that made her think- She knew it was him, but she couldn’t get to us to tell us that. So then Mike and Chris took Josh to the shed, and then Chris came back, and then Em, she was screaming.<br/>
I: Emily?<br/>
A: (nods)<br/>
I: You told me that she went to the cable car with Matt, but then she came from the mines?<br/>
A: She came running in and she was getting chased by this...thing, this monster.<br/>
I: Monster? What monster?<br/>
A: This thing, the Wendigo, it chased her from the mines to the house and Mike heard her, so he came to check on us, and there was this guy and-<br/>
I: Josh?<br/>
A: No, this was someone else. Josh was the maniac, but there was this old guy who came to the lodge and he told us about this curse on the mountain with human flesh, and that if you ate it you’d become a Wendigo.<br/>
I: What is a Wendigo?<br/>
A: It’s this monster. Well, it used to be human, but once it ate someone, it turned into the Wendigo. They’re tall and pale and they have long limbs and they can smell you and-<br/>
I: They? You’re saying there’s more than one?<br/>
A: There’s way more than one, there’s so many. And Mike said there was way too many and we saw three of them in the lodge and just...They can’t see you if you aren’t moving, so if you stand still, you’ll be okay.<br/>
I: What happened to this old man? Who told you about the Wendigo?<br/>
A: Well, Mike left Josh in the shed when he heard Em, and so he and Chris went to go back for him, but the Wendigo, it killed him.<br/>
I: Killed him?<br/>
A: Chris said it was really bad. He didn’t say what it did, but he was really messed up, like so messed up. He didn’t want to talk or move or anything and he hurt his leg, so he was just...The old guy saved him. He saved all of us.<br/>
I: What happened after that?<br/>
A: We were in the basement, because we thought it might be safe down there, and then- Oh, god. Em…<br/>
I: What happened to Emily?<br/>
A: She was- The Wendigo that chased her, it bit her, and we didn’t know if- We thought that if it bit her, then she would change into one.<br/>
I: We? Who else thought this?<br/>
A: It was me, and then Mike, and- and Chris, he was just- He didn’t want anyone else to get hurt. Sam tried to stop him and she was the only one and he- he was gonna shoot her.<br/>
I: Shoot her? Sam? Who was shooting who?<br/>
A: Mike, he wanted to protect us and he was going to shoot Em, but he- Sam, she got him to stop.<br/>
I: So, Michael was going to kill Emily?<br/>
A: He thought- Well, we all did- Or, Sam didn’t. But we thought she would turn into a Wendigo, and Mike just wanted to protect us. He left after to go look for Josh because we didn’t know if we’d make it until morning, so he wanted to go find the key for the cable car.<br/>
I: Where was he looking for Josh? Where did Josh go?<br/>
A: Chris said the Wendigo took him. And Em, when she was in the mines, she saw all this stuff and said it lived down there, so that’s where Mike went looking. And when he left, we found the old guy’s bag and it...it said all this stuff, stuff about Wendigos and what they do and how they act and…<br/>
I: And what?<br/>
A: It said that the Wendigo bite didn’t do anything, so we knew Em was gonna be okay. But there was just so, so much in there and Sam saw something that made her want to go after Mike.<br/>
I: What did she see?<br/>
A: I don’t know, I didn’t- We all went with her because we didn’t want to be alone, so we went back to the tunnel to the sanatorium. We went down this sewer because Mike locked a door, and I wanted to close it to make sure nothing followed us. And then I was going to catch up with everyone and I started hearing-<br/>
I: You were hearing voices?<br/>
A: Yes. Well, not like <em>voices</em> voices, not like “I’m crazy” voices.<br/>
I: I don’t understand.<br/>
A: I heard Jessica. I don't know how or why she was down there, but I know I heard her.<br/>
I: Jessica? Where has she been during all this?<br/>
A: I don’t even know, I mean- Mike- They went to the guest cabin and then we didn’t see him until Josh took of the mask, but then he was saying all this stuff about how Josh killed her and-<br/>
I: Josh killed Jessica?<br/>
A: No, no. It wasn’t- It wasn’t Josh, it was the Wendigo, but we didn’t know that yet.<br/>
I: Go back to the sewers. What happened after you heard the voice?<br/>
A: We came to this big cliff, it was all these rocks and I think it was part of the mines because there were broken boards at the top, but we didn’t go up there.<br/>
I: Why not?<br/>
A: Chris and Em, they were still really hurt and I- I was so scared, so Sam- Well, she went by herself.<br/>
I: And you went back to the basement under the lodge?<br/>
A: Yeah. We didn’t know what else to do, we had nowhere to go, so we just went back.<br/>
I: What then?<br/>
A: Well, we were there for a long time, and we were starting to get really worried because Sam and Mike hadn’t come back. We thought about maybe trying to go find them, but we- We just couldn’t, we were all so messed up. That’s- That’s when the Wendigos came to the house.<br/>
I: They came to the lodge?<br/>
A: I think they followed us after we split up from Sam. We were down in the basement, and then all of a sudden, they were just coming out from the tunnel.<br/>
I: How many?<br/>
A: It was just the two at first, but they scared us and we moved and so we started running, but when we got upstairs, there was another one already waiting for us.<br/>
I: Waiting for you?<br/>
A: These things- The Wendigos, the old guy’s book said that since they used to be human, they know how to hunt us, so it knew to wait for us by the door.<br/>
I: Who all was with you?<br/>
A: It was me, and then Chris, and Em, and Mike, and Sam.<br/>
I: Where was Matt during this?<br/>
A: He went with Emily to the cable car and she was alone when she came back. She was freaking out, so it was hard to tell, but she said they were on the fire tower and they fell into the mines. She thought he was dead.<br/>
I: And what happened when you all went upstairs in the lodge?<br/>
A: We were all staying still because that’s what you’re supposed to do, so they don’t see you. And then the two from the basement came up, and the big one, the one that was waiting for us, it ripped off the head of one of the other Wendigos.<br/>
I: It...what?<br/>
A: They were fighting, the Wendigos. They were throwing each other around and biting and scratching each other. One of them killed the other, and then there was this pipe by the fireplace, and it got knocked loose, so this gas started leaking into the lodge.<br/>
I: This is what started the fire?<br/>
A: Yes. Well, no. Mike and Sam, they were the ones who started it.<br/>
I: How?<br/>
A: Sam stepped on a board to make it creak and it made the Wendigos look over where she was. Mike, he went behind them and broke the glass on one of the lightbulbs so there was an open fuse.<br/>
I: That would have killed all of you.<br/>
A: The lights weren’t on yet. There were a bunch of lights in the lodge controlled by this one switch, but it was all the way over by the door, and we were all still inside. Chris, he was able to run out first, but then the Wendigo saw Mike moving.<br/>
I: What did he do?<br/>
A: Sam saved him. She- She yelled so it would look at her and take its eyes off of Mike so we could all go towards the door. Em got out first, and then when I saw Mike coming towards me, I ran, too. After Mike got out, Sam ran to the door and hit the switch and the whole lodge just went up in smoke and it was so...god, it was awful.<br/>
I: And that’s when the helicopters came?<br/>
A: (nods) It dropped a ladder down so we could all climb up, and once we were in there, they told us the other one had Matt and Jess in it.<br/>
I: And Josh?<br/>
A: The Wendigo... it has to be...<br/>
I: What?<br/>
A: The monster... it took him down into the mines where it lives, and Sam and Mike... They went to go find him, and we were going to meet back at the lodge but…<br/>
I: It’s okay, Ashley. You’re safe now. I think I have everything I need from you.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>You may have noticed that Until Dawn: Interviews is actually Part 1 in the After Dawn series. And if you haven't, here's your notification!</p><p>Long story short, I was looking on AO3 for some Until Dawn fanfictions to help get me in the mood to start writing my own. However, I noticed a severe lack of lengthy content involving the whole cast without any original characters. Going through the interviews of everyone has been something I've wanted to do for a while, so I thought, "why not now?"</p><p>So, Until Dawn: Interviews is kind of the prequel to what will eventually be my fanfiction, After Dawn. This goes through all of the important choices that were made by the characters to help us all get a feel for what the mood will be between everyone once the interviews have concluded.</p><p>I have no idea when all 7 interviews will be finished or when After Dawn's first chapter will be posted. I'm a depressed hoe with writer's block that's been going on 2 years strong, so don't expect anything consistent. If you've made it this far, I love you. :)</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Emily | Room 2 | 9:32 AM</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I: means that the interviewer is speaking. E: means that Emily is speaking.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>I: Emily, I'm going to ask you a series of questions about tonight’s events, okay?<br/>
E: Yeah, sure.<br/>
I: Why did you and Matt leave the lodge?<br/>
E: It was stupid, I left one of my bags at the cable car station and I wanted to go back to get it.<br/>
I: And how long did that take?<br/>
E: I don’t know, it’s not exactly like we were keeping track of the time.<br/>
I: So, did you make it to the station?<br/>
E: Well, not exactly. We were closeby, but then we kept hearing these screams and-<br/>
I: What screams? From the lodge?<br/>
E: We didn’t know what it was, but neither of us liked it. And then the lights started flickering and we found this note that really wigged us out.<br/>
I: What did the note say?<br/>
E: We were almost to the cable car, but then we saw this...head.<br/>
I: A human head?<br/>
E: No, it was a pig’s head. The note, it was written in red, or maybe it was even blood. It said “welcome back.”<br/>
I: Did you tell anyone you were going back to the station?<br/>
E: A bunch of people were around when we talked about it, so yeah.<br/>
I: But who exactly heard you?<br/>
E: I don’t know. It was Sam and Josh and I think Chris and Ash?<br/>
I: What happened after you found the note?<br/>
E: Matt and I were both freaked out, so we decided to do without the bag and go back to the lodge.<br/>
I: And I assume you don’t know what time this was?<br/>
E: (rolls eyes) No, I don’t. You might as well save your breath, because I don’t know when any of this happened. It was the beginning of the night and when everything went wrong, it was all so fast, but so damn slow at the same time. I didn’t even know it was dawn until I ran out of the lodge and saw the sun rising.<br/>
I: You and Matt took the whole night to go to the cable car and back?<br/>
E: Well, obviously not. We were on our way back to the lodge when Chris and Ash came out from the shed. They were both a mess and Ash was just covered in blood.<br/>
I: Whose blood?<br/>
E: They were saying stuff about a maniac and a saw that cut him in half.<br/>
I: Excuse me?<br/>
E: (sigh) They told us that there was a psycho up on the mountain with us, that he attacked them. I guess he tied them up in the shed or something and made Chris decide whether to kill Josh or that ditz hanging off his arm.<br/>
I: Is there something I need to know about you and Ashley?<br/>
E: No, only that she’s a cowardly bitch who almost let me get killed.<br/>
I: What are you talking about?<br/>
E: Mike wanted to kill me and that dumbass told him to pull the trigger.<br/>
I: Michael had a gun?<br/>
E: He held it right up to my face... right here - right in front of my nose and he could have shot me, he almost shot me, the prick! I mean you go out with a guy for however long and you think you know him, but man, this one really takes the cake.<br/>
I: You and Michael were in a relationship?<br/>
E: We were, but it ended like a few months ago.<br/>
I: So, you broke up with him and he was angry?<br/>
E: No, that’s not what I said. He broke up with me to chase after that brainless bitch Jess.<br/>
I: When did the gun show up? After Chris and Ashley came out of the shed?<br/>
E: That was later, like way later. After they came out of the shed, we told them to go look for Sam while Matt and I went back to the cable car again. We wanted to radio for help or something, but when we got there, paint was everywhere and the whole place was trashed. The radio wasn’t even working when we were back.<br/>
I: So, what did you do then?<br/>
E: There was a map inside of the mountain and there was a fire tower on one of the hills, so we decided we would go there to use that radio. The gate behind us got locked, so we-<br/>
I: Locked? How did it get locked?<br/>
E: Another one of Josh’s schemes I guess.<br/>
I: But you said Josh was killed by a saw?<br/>
E: Well, we thought he was, but apparently it was fake or something. When I got back to the lodge, the others had found out that the psycho was Josh.<br/>
I: So you contacted the park rangers for nothing?<br/>
E: We didn’t know it was Josh. How the hell were we supposed to know? Matt and I were on the other side of the freaking mountain getting attacked by elk or reindeer or moose or whatever the hell they were.<br/>
I: Um...what?<br/>
E: It doesn’t even matter. The point is, we got up to the fire tower and we got connected to the park rangers, but then we heard the maniac pounding on the hatch.<br/>
I: I thought you said Josh was the maniac.<br/>
E: He was, but we didn’t know that when we called, we thought some damn axe murderer was on the loose.<br/>
I: The rangers said they lost connection with you after they heard screaming. What happened next?<br/>
E: The tower started falling and I fell out through the window. I thought it was just going to hang there, but then it fell down and down and it just kept going. We fell all the way down into the mines.<br/>
I: The mines?<br/>
E: We stopped part of the way down and Matt- He tried to help me. I was losing my shit and I probably pissed him off with how I was acting, if I’m honest. But he still tried to get to me, but then we started falling farther. By the time we stopped, he was gone and I was dangling from this wire or something over this giant hole. I managed to get down, but I had no clue where the hell I was. There were these elevators, and lanterns, and a clocking in station, so I guess I was somewhere near the main mining tunnels.<br/>
I: How did you get out?<br/>
E: I didn’t. Well, not right away. I kept hearing these screams, like the ones Matt and I heard near the cable car. We didn’t know it yet, but they were from this...monster.<br/>
I: Monster?<br/>
E: I know it sounds crazy. Believe me, I would have thought I was, too. But this thing, the Wendigo, it was what chased me around down there.<br/>
I: What exactly is a Wendigo?<br/>
E: It’s this gross...thing. It’s a monster and it eats people, but you don’t turn into one unless you eat another person and-<br/>
I: So, you’re saying it’s a carnivore? Like a lion?<br/>
E: No. No. It's not an animal and it's not a person but it has a home down there and it collects things like a person would and I found all this stuff, it's horrible-!<br/>
I: What did you find?<br/>
E: I found her head. I found Beth's head.<br/>
I: Beth Washington?<br/>
E: Beth freaking Washington.<br/>
I: Please make a note to investigate further... and Josh?<br/>
E: I didn't see him... but there's no way he could have survived so if you haven't found him yet... that's where he's gotta be.<br/>
I: What else did you find?<br/>
E: I found this makeshift cross and in the wall, there were all these markings, like someone was alive down there. I think that Beth died when they fell into the mines, but I don’t think Hannah died right away. I think she’s the one who buried Beth.<br/>
I: But you still found her...head?<br/>
E: Someone dug her up I guess. I don’t know if it was that old creep or a Wendigo or what.<br/>
I: Old creep?<br/>
E: There was this man in the mines, he was like living down there or something. I thought he was chasing after me, but he actually was trying to help. He gave me some flares and they helped me escape the mines. The Wendigo was after me, but he said they’re afraid of fire, and it turns out he was right. I didn’t think I would make it, but I got back to the lodge before it killed me.<br/>
I: Was anyone waiting for you there?<br/>
E: It was Sam, Chris and Ashley. Mike was at the shed with Josh or whatever, but he came over when he heard me. They thought I was crazy when I told them about the Wendigo, but then the old guy came to the lodge and told us about them.<br/>
I: Them? There’s more than one?<br/>
E: He said something about a curse on the mountain that if someone eats a person, they turn into a Wendigo. He sounded like an expert, but it seemed like Chris got him killed.<br/>
I: How so?<br/>
E: The rest of us went to the basement, but the two of them went looking for Josh, god knows why. Chris came back alone and was being all sulky about the guy, so I guess something messed up happened. When he was back, that’s when Michael tried to shoot me.<br/>
I: Did everyone agree with him?<br/>
E: Well, Ashley was losing her fucking mind, screaming at me to leave. Chris was just being pissy and said he didn’t want any Wendigos to hurt anyone else. Sam was the only one trying to get him to stop.<br/>
I: Are you and Sam close?<br/>
E: Not really. I mean, we used to be. We were neighbors growing up and each others’ first best friend, but we kind of grew apart after elementary school. I’m not the closest with Chris or Ash either, but I never thought they’d want to kill me over something that wasn’t even true.<br/>
I: What wasn’t true?<br/>
E: Those assholes thought that because the Wendigo bit me, I was going to turn into one. That’s why Mike told me to either leave or he’d shoot me. Turns out, the bite doesn’t do shit.<br/>
I: How did you find this out?<br/>
E: There was this book in the old guy’s bag, it said all this crazy stuff about how the Wendigos act. Apparently, he’d gotten bitten before, but nothing happened. They were going to kill me over nothing.<br/>
I: What happened after you found out?<br/>
E: Well, after I rightfully smacked the shit out of Ashley, we went to go after Mike because Sam thought he’d need to know whatever was in the book to find Josh.<br/>
I: Find Josh?<br/>
E: I told you the Wendigos live down in the mines and I figured that if one of them took Josh, that’s where he would be. He had the key for the cable car and since we had no idea when the storm would stop, Michael wanted to go be heroic and find the key so we could leave.<br/>
I: Did you find him?<br/>
E: We didn’t, Sam did. We went through this weirdass tunnel until there was this big wall. Chris and I had no chance of making it up that thing, but Sam is a really big rock climber, so it was nothing for her. The three of us were waiting for them in the basement, but then the Wendigos were coming out of the tunnel.<br/>
I: What tunnel?<br/>
E: We had found these maps from the old guy, and one of this was showing a tunnel leading from the sanatorium straight to the lodge. That’s how Mike made it back and how we were going to find him.<br/>
I: Were the Washingtons aware of this tunnel?<br/>
E: How the hell would I know? It wasn’t well maintained, so I’d seriously doubt it. They kind of like to keep up appearances, what with being rich and all.<br/>
I: How many Wendigos came from the tunnel?<br/>
E: It was two of them, I think one was wearing torn up clothes or something. But we weren’t expecting them to come out, so they obviously saw us when they came in.<br/>
I: Why is it obvious that they saw you? Wouldn’t they have seen you even if you were expecting them?<br/>
E: The Wendigos, I guess their vision is all weird because they can only see stuff that’s moving. So when they broke in, we all obviously freaked out and started booking it out of there.<br/>
I: And that’s when you ran out of the lodge?<br/>
E: Well, not without a brutal beatdown first.<br/>
I: What?<br/>
E: When we got upstairs, another Wendigo was waiting for us. They’re apparently as smart as I am, because it knew we would be coming up there. The other two Wendigos followed us and started fighting the big one.<br/>
I: How did the fire start?<br/>
E: So, the lightswitch controlling most of the lights in the main room of the lodge was all the way over by the door, but we were way on the other side of the house. Everything was shut off and when one of the Wendigos threw the other one, it knocked loose the gas pipe by the fireplace.<br/>
I: And how did they manage to make the explosion?<br/>
E: Michael sidestepped over to this one lightbulb and crushed the glass so the fuse was exposed. Sam saved his stupid ass right after Chris ran out of the lodge. I went out next, and then it was Ash, and then Mike.<br/>
I: So Samantha blew up the lodge?<br/>
E: Well, it’s not like she had much of a choice. It was either that or the Wendigos ripped us into pieces, so she ran like hell to the door and hit the switch so the whole place went up. If she hadn’t, you probably wouldn’t have rescued any of us.<br/>
I: Then the helicopters came?<br/>
E: They flew overhead and let us climb up. Once we were in there, they told us Matt and Jess were alive.<br/>
I: You all thought they were dead?<br/>
E: Wouldn’t you have? I mean, Michael was convinced that Josh had killed Jessica and nearly beat him to death for it. After the fire tower fell into the mines, I never saw Matt again.<br/>
I: Convinced? So Josh didn’t attack Jessica?<br/>
E: I don’t think so. He was acting crazy, but he looked devastated when Mike accused him, and that wasn’t a face he’d just pull on the daily. My guess is that a Wendigo took her.<br/>
I: Thank you, Emily. You will be escorted to a separate room and once we’re done with you all, you’ll be free to go.<br/>
E: Where's Matt? Is he okay? Are they done looking at him? I'm just a little worried because, you know, I'm his girlfriend. Did he tell you that? I mean, I probably wasn't his favorite person there for a couple minutes, but he knows how devoted I am to him. He knows. He said he knows, right?<br/>
I: Matt sustained very minor injuries, but he still has to be interviewed like the rest of you, so you cannot see him until then.<br/>
E: Well, why the hell not?<br/>
I: It is a rule that we don’t let suspects stay together to avoid-<br/>
E: Suspects? Whoa, whoa, whoa. Tell me you don’t think we’re all guilty in this situation. We were the damn victims! We were the ones who spent our whole night terrorized by these monsters because your “heroic” park rangers refused to get us sooner!<br/>
I: The storm was too violent, Emily, they would have had no visualization.<br/>
E: Too violent?! I’ll tell you what’s too violent! Seeing one of your friends’ heads fall on the ground and staring into the eyes of a monster that used to have a fucking name!<br/>
I: What do you mean, used to have a name?<br/>
E: (stands up) I’m done talking about this, I want to go.<br/>
I: (blocks the door) You can’t leave yet, we haven’t finished-<br/>
E: Well, I have finished! If you’re not going to charge me with something, then get the hell out of my way so I can go see my friends! We aren’t criminals, we haven’t been read our rights, so you have to let us go!<br/>
I: It is necessary to the investigation that we-<br/>
E: I don’t give a shit about your investigation! I’m not going to just sit here and- (cries out, grabs abdomen)<br/>
I: Emily? Emily, what’s wrong?<br/>
E: (doubles over) Fuck…<br/>
I: Someone call the M.E. and tell him to get his ass up here!</p>
<h4>Cut in the tape</h4>

  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>In case anyone doesn't know, M.E. stands for Medical Examiner.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Chris | Room 3 | 9:53 AM</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>***TRIGGER WARNING***<br/>This part mentions suicide. Please read at your own risk.</p><p>I: means that the interviewer is speaking. C: means that Chris is speaking.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>I: I know that you’re hurting, Christopher, but we have to do this now so we have all the details you remember.<br/>
C: I understand.<br/>
I: Tell me about what happened when you used the spirit board with Joshua and Ashley.<br/>
C: Part of me thought it was a bad idea. I don’t believe in ghosts or anything, but the magnets in the board still move the pointer around. I knew there was a chance that no matter what it “said”, it could be interpreted in a way that could screw with Josh’s head.<br/>
I: You and him were close?<br/>
C: He was practically my brother. I mean- We went to each other about everything, no matter what. I thought he’d tell me if he was ever feeling suicidal again, but...I don’t know. This past year has been fucked up.<br/>
I: How many times has he attempted suicide?<br/>
C: Twice, I think? Once was a few months before Hannah and Beth disappeared, when we were still in high school. The other wasn’t long after they went missing.<br/>
I: And he was treated for both of these attempts?<br/>
C: He’s been seeing shrinks for as long as I can remember. He was always talking about this new doctor or these shitty side effects from a new medication.<br/>
I: And he hadn’t seemed unstable recently? Nothing to suggest that he’d-<br/>
C: What? Try to torture us? Josh wasn’t insane. He blamed himself for his sisters’ deaths even though he had nothing to do with it. He wasn’t acting weird, he didn’t seem off, I hadn’t noticed anything was wrong. Maybe I should have.<br/>
I: Did he seem excited to have you all come to the lodge?<br/>
C: He sounded ecstatic. I hadn’t heard him so happy about something since his sisters, so of course I was going to try to be excited with him, even though it felt weird being back.<br/>
I: How so?<br/>
C: Well, the place was never cleared. Police tape was still wrapped around trees, the furniture was almost all covered, it looked like it hadn’t been cleaned in months. There were still letters and notes and messages on the phone that talked about everything that was going on. Once the police gave up the search, it seemed freaky to go back without knowing what happened to Hannah and Beth.<br/>
I: Let’s go back to the spirit board. Did it tell you anything?<br/>
C: When we asked, it said it was Hannah trying to talk to us. Now that I think about it, Josh was probably the one pushing the pointer around to get us amped up for the rest of the night.<br/>
I: Amped up?<br/>
C: Later on, Ash and I were down in the basement looking for Sam and we kept seeing all these things that didn’t make sense. Pictures jumping off the walls, cameras recording us, timers set to go off. We thought it was some psychopath, but it was Josh all along.<br/>
I: What else did the board tell you?<br/>
C: That Hannah and Beth were killed. When we asked who did it, it told us that there would be proof in the library. Josh stormed out, acting like we were the ones messing with him. I guess he did it so he could set up for what was to come.<br/>
I: What was to come?<br/>
C: Ash and I looked in the library and found what looked like a note threatening his sisters. When we went to find him to show him, we heard him screaming, making it look like he was getting attacked just like us. Ashley went into the kitchen and he shut the door behind her. By the time I broke in, she was on the floor. I had no time to react before he clocked me.<br/>
I: Were you knocked out?<br/>
C: For sure. I had no idea he could pack such a punch.<br/>
I: What happened when you woke up?<br/>
C: I started looking for Ashley. I found her coin purse and all this blood on the wall. Turns out, it was fake, but it scared the shit out of me. I followed the footprints out to the shed and when I walked in, all the lights turned on and…<br/>
I: And?<br/>
C: Josh had Ashley tied up. He did it to himself, too. There was this big saw between them and a recording started playing, telling me I had to choose to kill one of them.<br/>
I: What did you do?<br/>
C: I was so damn confused after hitting my head. It felt like the whole room was spinning and I just- I wanted to save Josh, I did. But either I pushed the lever the wrong way, or he rigged it so that it would always direct to him. I could have killed Ashley last night.<br/>
I: She told us that you decided to save her.<br/>
C: They could hardly hear me from where I was and they were both freaking out. She tried thanking me for saving her, and I had no clue what to say. “Hey, I actually meant to kill you, but now my best friend is dead instead. Sorry?” ...I couldn’t tell her.<br/>
I: Did you look at Josh to make sure he was really dead?<br/>
C: No. I mean- It looked like the saw cut him in half and blood was fucking everywhere. I didn’t think there was a chance in hell he’d survive something like that, but he faked it somehow.<br/>
I: What did you do next?<br/>
C: After I got Ash down, we went to the path where Matt and Em were coming back from the cable car.<br/>
I: Why had they gone there?<br/>
C: I guess Em forgot one of her bags.<br/>
I: Do you think they were behind the saw? Not Josh?<br/>
C: What? No, they weren’t- They couldn’t have been. Josh was still alive after the saw. He talked about fake bodies and fake blood, so apparently it was his face but not him. Matt and Em got fucked with just as much as we did.<br/>
I: Were they in the basement with you and Ashley?<br/>
C: No. We were both really messed up, so they decided they were going to go to the cable car station to try and radio for help.<br/>
I: And did they?<br/>
C: They did, but not from the cable car. Em was flipping out, so she was kind of hard to understand, but she said something about a fire tower and falling into the mines.<br/>
I: You mentioned looking for Samantha. Where had she been during this?<br/>
C: She said something about taking a bath before we used the stupid spirit board. And before you ask, there’s not a chance in hell she was involved either.<br/>
I: We’re required to ask, Christopher. We don’t mean for you to take offense.<br/>
C: Are you serious?! Did you even fucking see them?! I’m sorry, maybe you need to take another look at the gouges on Jessica or the nubs left of Mike’s fingers!<br/>
I: Sir, you need to calm down.<br/>
C: Then you need to stop asking me stupid questions.<br/>
I: Do you want to take a break? Take a minute to cool off?<br/>
C: I just want to get this fucking over with.<br/>
I: (sigh) Okay...tell me about what you found in the basement.<br/>
C: There was a lot of random shit down there. There were boxes with fake newspapers, and books with lights circled, and Hannah’s diary, and a dollhouse, and keys, and blood, and pigs, and-<br/>
I: Are you sure you don’t want to-<br/>
C: I don’t need a fucking break! I need you to listen to what I’m telling you! Okay?!<br/>
I: If we’re going to continue, you have to calm down.<br/>
C: I am way past being calm. You have no idea the shit that went down on that mountain. That place was a fucking nightmare from the beginning.<br/>
I: What do you mean, it was a nightmare?<br/>
C: On the mountain, there used to be both a hotel and a sanatorium. The hotel ran pretty deep and it was connected to the lodge’s basement. And there was this- This tunnel going between the hotel and the sanatorium, like they were connected for some reason.<br/>
I: And where in these places did you find Sam?<br/>
C: We didn’t find Sam, she found us. Ash and I were in what was left of the hotel looking for her when Josh grabbed me and used this gas that knocked me out again. When I woke up, we were both tied down to these chairs, but one of my hands was free. And...the gun, it- It was on the table.<br/>
I: What gun?<br/>
C: It was a 9mm pistol. Ash and I- We had saws hanging above us, and Josh- He- He told me that I could either use it to shoot myself or her.<br/>
I: What did you decide to do?<br/>
C: I couldn’t kill her, I couldn’t...She was my best friend and I loved her so damn much. There was no way that I could point it at her and pull the trigger. She tried to convince me not to, but I still tried to shoot myself anyway.<br/>
I: Tried?<br/>
C: The gun was filled with blanks. After I took the shot, Sam and Mike came busting through some other door. Josh came walking towards us with this creepy ass mask on and when he took it off, we realized he wasn’t dead.<br/>
I: What happened then?<br/>
C: Sam came to untie us while Josh started talking about how it was him all along. How he wanted to post all the recordings he took and make us famous. Mike...he thought he killed Jess.<br/>
I: Jessica? Where was she?<br/>
C: She and Mike left before the seance after she and Em got in a fight. Somehow, they got separated and I guess she was attacked, because he thought for sure she was dead.<br/>
I: Did the rest of you agree?<br/>
C: We didn’t know what to think. Josh said he didn’t hurt her, that it was all just a prank and that he didn’t hurt anyone. But the way he was acting- I’d never seen him like that before. He had been taking meds previously, but then I started thinking that he stopped taking them.<br/>
I: What did you all decide to do?<br/>
C: Mike and I took him up to the shed. We wanted to tie him up until we could call the police in the morning, because Matt and Em still weren’t back yet. Not long after I went back to the lodge, we heard her screaming bloody murder.<br/>
I: Screaming? About what?<br/>
C: This is gonna sound crazy, but I swear- It’s- It’s not like an animal, it used to be human, but it doesn’t act like one anymore.<br/>
I: What used to be human?<br/>
C: It’s this monster, it’s called a Wendigo.<br/>
I: A what?<br/>
C: We had no idea what she was talking about, we thought Josh had rigged something up to mess with her, too. But then once Mike came down, this old guy came into the lodge and freaked the hell out of us. We thought he had been following us, watching us. We even thought maybe he was the one who killed Hannah and Beth, but he said he wasn’t responsible.<br/>
I: Did he tell you his name?<br/>
C: No. All he told us was about the Wendigos.<br/>
I: So, there’s more than one of these monsters?<br/>
C: There’s at least three. We saw them all at once, but Mike said there were a whole bunch more in the sanatorium. They were fucking insane.<br/>
I: What exactly were these monsters?<br/>
C: The old man told us that there was a curse on the mountain, that if anyone became a cannibal, then a spirit would possess them and turn them into the Wendigo. They’re tall, like freakishly tall and so skinny you can see their ribs. But they’re strong enough and fast enough that they just seem impossible to beat.<br/>
I: Can they be beaten?<br/>
C: He told us they don’t like fire. He said that their skin was so tough that a shotgun would only slow it down, not kill it. You have to burn the skin off to be able to kill them. He knew so much, I thought for sure…<br/>
I: Thought for sure, what?<br/>
C: Mike said that when he left the shed, he heard Josh screaming. I wanted to go after him, and he said he’d come to help me, but...he was killed.<br/>
I: Killed?<br/>
C: The old man... I, er... I don't know how to describe him I mean-<br/>
I: You said you thought he was stalking you at first- did anyone else in your group think that?<br/>
C: Well yeah-<br/>
I: Is it possible they could have killed him?<br/>
C: What? No, no you don't understand. Don't you underst-<br/>
I: If he attacked you -<br/>
C: He saved my life. And I watched him die.<br/>
I: How did it happen?<br/>
C: It was a Wendigo. We were going back to the lodge, but then he- He tried to help me, he tried using his flamethrower on it, but it still got him. When I was running back, that’s how I messed my leg up.<br/>
I: What did you do once you were back at the lodge?<br/>
C: Sam, Mike, Ash, Em, and I were all down there because we thought it would be safe from the Wendigos. But Emily, she- She had gotten bitten by one while running away.<br/>
I: Bitten?<br/>
C: On her shoulder. And we thought...we thought that maybe she’d turn into one.<br/>
I: Into a Wendigo?<br/>
C: (nods) Ashley was really, really scared and Mike- He just wanted to protect us, he was so convinced he was doing the right thing.<br/>
I: The right thing?<br/>
C: He had found a revolver in the sanatorium and he...he was going to shoot her.<br/>
I: Did anyone try and stop him?<br/>
C: Sam did. Ash thought he was right and after watching the old man die, I just- I didn’t want to see it again.<br/>
I: So what happened?<br/>
C: He couldn’t do it. He and Em used to date, and he just couldn’t pull that trigger. I was a hypocrite, too. I wouldn’t have been able to do it either.<br/>
I: And Josh?<br/>
C: (Starts to cry) What about him?<br/>
I: We haven't recovered his body.<br/>
C: (Composes himself) The Wendigo.<br/>
I: What?<br/>
C: It's the only thing that makes sense. The Wendigo took him down into the mines.<br/>
I: Why do you think that?<br/>
C: While Em was down there, she said it seemed like that’s where one of them lived. She told us the park rangers couldn’t come get us until morning, but we didn’t know if we’d last that long. Josh had taken the key for the cable car, so Mike wanted to go find him.<br/>
I: Did any of you follow him?<br/>
C: Not right away. Once he left, Ash was reading the old man’s book and found out that the bites didn’t do anything. Emily was pissed and she hit her pretty hard. Sam kept reading and I guess saw something that Mike needed to know, so that’s when we went after him.<br/>
I: Did you find him?<br/>
C: We didn’t, but Sam must have. We were going to the tunnel to the sanatorium because there was an entrance to the mines nearby it. Mike locked the doors behind him, so we used the sewers to keep going. When we came to a rock wall, Sam kept going while the rest of us went back to the lodge.<br/>
I: How long did it take until they returned?<br/>
C: Too long. We had started debating whether to go after them, but Emily and I were in bad shape, and Ashley was way too scared to go on her own. We were sitting around talking when two Wendigos broke through the tunnel and came into the basement. They can’t see you if you’re standing still, but they scared us, so we started running. On our way out, we saw Mike and Sam.<br/>
I: But not Josh?<br/>
C: (shakes head) No.<br/>
I: How was the explosion set off?<br/>
C: By the time we made it upstairs, there was a third Wendigo waiting in the main room. We all stood still as the other two came up, and then they started fighting each other. There was biting and scratching and they scream so damn loud it hurts your ears. One threw the other towards the fireplace, and it broke one of the gas pipes.<br/>
I: And you were all outside by then?<br/>
C: No. The lightswitch was at the door and it controlled a lot of the lights in the lodge, but it wasn’t switched on. Mike made it over to one of the bulbs and smashed the glass to expose the fuse. One of the Wendigos spotted him, and that’s when I got close enough to the door to run out.<br/>
I: Was Michael attacked?<br/>
C: No, no. I think- Well, Em made it out next, and then it was Ash, and when she got to me she said something like, “she saved him”. I guess Sam distracted the Wendigo, because Mike came out then. Sam was last, she flipped the lightswitch when she ran to the door. The helicopters were there pretty quickly after. When they picked us up, they told us Matt and Jess were alive.<br/>
I: So, you don’t know what happened to Josh?<br/>
C: (tearing up) I don’t. I was his best friend and I...I don’t know what happened to him. Sam and Mike, they were so- They were so damn quiet in the helicopter, I mean they hardly even looked at us. Josh...I couldn’t save him.<br/>
I: I’m sorry for your loss.<br/>
C: You think he’s dead?<br/>
I: ...I don’t know. We’ll keep looking for him.<br/>
C: (sniffles) Are we done?<br/>
I: We’re done.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Jessica | Room 1 | 10:16 AM</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I: means that the interviewer is speaking. J: means that Jess is speaking.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>I: Are you warmer now?<br/>J: (nods)<br/>I: I’m going to try to make this as easy as possible for you. I just need to ask a few questions, and then we’ll be done, okay? We may have to call you after you’ve recovered to get the rest of your story.<br/>J: Okay..<br/>I: How did you end up in the mines?<br/>J: I was carried... and... taken... and...<br/>I: What did you see?<br/>J: I don't know... I-I don't know.<br/>I: What carried you? You said it carried you- was it one of your friends?<br/>J: No. No... it was... it was down there... it came from down there-<br/>I: I'm sorry, what are you talking about?<br/>J: The mines... there's something in the mines.<br/>I: Alright…?<br/>J: ...Mike...<br/>I: What do you remember?<br/>J: He came for me...! He did...!<br/>I: Came for you?<br/>J: Where is he...? Did he make it...?<br/>I: Jess, remember on the helicopter? With Matt? All your friends made it, they’re okay.<br/>J: I- I don’t remember…<br/>I: That’s alright. Can you try to tell me about who carried you to the mines?<br/>J: It wasn’t some<em>one</em>… it was some<em>thing.</em><br/>I: Can you explain more?<br/>J: It’s not human… it’s- It’s like a monster.<br/>I: Do you think you can be more specific?<br/>J: I...I just- I can’t (starts to cry).<br/>I: Alright, that’s okay. Can someone find those heating blankets? I want the M.E. back up here now.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Poor Jess :(</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Matt | Room 2 | 10:25 AM</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I: means that the interviewer is speaking. M: means that Matt is speaking.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>I: Matthew, I know you’re struggling right now, but I need you to listen to me.<br/>
M: Just- Where’s Em? Have you found Em?<br/>
I: You were told on the helicopter, she’s okay.<br/>
M: No, no, I wasn’t- They didn’t tell me- We were…<br/>
I: You’re in shock. You need to take some deep breaths.<br/>
M: I want to see Em, I want you to take me to her.<br/>
I: She’s already completed her interview, you have to wait until you’ve finished yours.<br/>
M: So once we’re done, I can see her?<br/>
I: Yes, but that doesn’t mean we’re going to rush through this. I need all the details you can remember.<br/>
M: We- We were up in the lodge and Em- Emily forgot um...she forgot this one damn bag that I swear, I <em>swear</em> I grabbed that thing. She wouldn’t let it go so we were uh, we were going to go get it.<br/>
I: From the cable car station?<br/>
M: Yeah, yes. The station. But we- We didn’t make it there. We saw this pig and heard these screams and the lights and it was-<br/>
I: Matthew, I told you, you need to calm down.<br/>
M: And the mines! The mines and- and the deer and Jess, she was so fucked up that I didn’t- I had no clue what to do. The monster, these monsters…<br/>
I: Matt?<br/>
M: There was- There was a madman and he was after us. he.. he killed Josh and he was trying to kill all of us and we went for help because we were trapped and for fuck's sake that was why I was on the goddamned fucking tower in the first place!<br/>
I: But the tower fell... Where were you after the tower fell?<br/>
M: In the mines! I keep trying to tell you there's something in the mines!<br/>
I: Matt, do you want us to call your parents?<br/>
M: What? No, no. I just- I need…<br/>
I: I want you to take a minute. Catch your breath. Emily’s not going anywhere and neither are we. It’s okay.<br/>
M: (starting to cry) Em, she just- She fell and I-<br/>
I: Turn the camera off.</p>
<h4>Cut in the tape</h4><p>I: Are you ready to start again?<br/>
M: Yeah, I just...I’m sorry.<br/>
I: It’s okay. Tell me about what happened while you and Emily were going to the cable car.<br/>
M: We were messing around the whole way there because we didn’t- We didn’t know what was going on, we didn’t know that the others were...That they were in trouble. We were almost there, and then we found this pig’s head and it- It had a note on it.<br/>
I: Do you remember what it said?<br/>
M: It was- It said “welcome back,” but we were confused- We were confused because the only people who knew we were going back to the station were Josh and Ash and Chris and Sam. And we were close to the station, but then there were these screams. They were loud and sounded like something was dying. We were both freaked, and so we went back.<br/>
I: And that’s when you ran into Chris and Ashley?<br/>
M: Yeah. Ash, she was- She was just covered in blood, like it soaked into her clothes everywhere. Chris was a mess and I- I’d never seen him like that before. They told us that there was a maniac and that Josh- That he had to kill him.<br/>
I: And what did you do?<br/>
M: Em and I, we had to go get help. We wanted to go back to the cable car and take it down the mountain so we could get service, but- But the car, it was- Someone moved it and it was too far and without the key, we couldn’t get it back. We saw this map with a fire tower and we knew there would be a radio there, so that’s where we went.<br/>
I: That’s when you got in contact with the park rangers?<br/>
M: They told us that because of the storm, that they wouldn’t be able to get us until morning. And then- That’s when the maniac came, and he was pounding on the hatch door. That’s when the tower started falling.<br/>
I: Where did you end up?<br/>
M: It fell off the mountain, but instead of landing, it- it caused some kind of cave-in because we just kept going. Em, she was- She was stuck, but I couldn’t get to her and I was right there, and I could have done something - I tried to do something... I wasn't good enough.<br/>
I: You couldn’t get to her?<br/>
M: When I tried, the tower started tipping, but I kept trying. And then...then she started falling and I couldn’t get her, I was too far. The tower was slipping again and I didn’t know what to do, and so I jumped off and landed in some kind of cave.<br/>
I: A cave?<br/>
M: There were these cages hanging from the ceilings and hooks were dangling everywhere and I could hardly fucking see. I wanted to try to follow where it was going, but I- I got grabbed.<br/>
I: Grabbed?<br/>
M: I don’t know what it was. It- It was moving so damn fast and it wouldn’t let me go and so I used the flare gun from the fire tower and it finally dropped me.<br/>
I: Did you see whatever it was?<br/>
M: No. By the time I turned around to look, it was gone.<br/>
I: What happened next?<br/>
M: I didn’t want to follow wherever the hell it went, but I didn’t want to stay there and wait for it to come back, so I started climbing down the cave-in trying to look for Em.<br/>
I: But you didn’t find her?<br/>
M: The mines- They just kept going and going and going and I thought for sure it was never going to end. I got so damn tired that I had to find another cave because I couldn’t keep going. I followed that one until I had to start climbing again.<br/>
I: How long did this take you?<br/>
M: I was down there for hours, stumbling around in the dark. There was hardly any light and it was so damn cold and I just- I didn’t know what to do. I was ready to sit down and give up, but that’s- That’s when I found Jess.<br/>
I: Jessica? She was in the mines, too?<br/>
M: I had no clue how she got down there and she could hardly move. She talked about Mike and all this glass, but she was so fucked up that she could barely talk, either.<br/>
I: What did you do?<br/>
M: I was in way better shape than she was and I couldn’t just leave her there. We kept going through these tunnels and then this thing- I think it’s whatever grabbed me before- It found us and started chasing us.<br/>
I: But you got away?<br/>
M: We hid behind some boards first and waited for it to pass us. Jess couldn’t stop shivering and she said it hurt just for me to touch her. When it was gone, I thought I saw lights way past some other boards. When I broke through, we were on the side of the mountain.<br/>
I: And you were safe?<br/>
M: No. We- We were standing there and that’s when that thing- It came back.<br/>
I: What was this <em>thing?</em><br/>
M: It was- It was almost like a human, but it was so tall and its teeth were huge and its skin was nearly white. I don’t know how it didn’t see us, but it went back into the mines. I think it was less than fifteen minutes until the helicopters spotted us.<br/>
I: Thank you, Matt.<br/>
M: That’s it?<br/>
I: For now. We may have to call you for more information, but we’re done for today.<br/>
M: So I can go see Em?<br/>
I: There’s someone outside waiting to escort you.<br/>
M: (stands, goes to door, pauses) ...I...<br/>
I: Is there something else?<br/>
M: Can you- Can you call my parents?<br/>
I: Of course.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Apologies that it's so short, but we all know our poor Matt and Jess got screwed over with their screen time.</p><p>More to come!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Mike | Room 3 | 10:47 AM</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Are these even necessary anymore?</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>I: Michael, I just want to warn you. This may be difficult for you, going back through it all.<br/>
M: Can it be any harder than what we just went through?<br/>
I: When traumatic things happen, it can take months to recover.<br/>
M: Yeah, well, I wasn’t traumatized, okay?<br/>
I: I want you to start at the beginning of the night. Why did you and Jessica leave the lodge?<br/>
M: Jess and Em, they had some stupid fight. I don’t even know what it was about, it kind of sounded like Em was jealous.<br/>
I: She told us you used to be in a relationship.<br/>
M: Yeah.<br/>
I: Can you tell me about it?<br/>
M: The typical. High school romance turned ugly once college hit. We grew apart.<br/>
I: Emily seemed to imply otherwise.<br/>
M: Look, after...after Hannah and Beth, I- I felt.. different. Guilty, I guess. I was having a hard time keeping my head above water and Em, she just- I couldn’t feel that around her, it’s like I wasn’t allowed to. And Jess...she’s a flirt, always has been. And she made me feel.. less guilty? Somehow? It was still there, but it was me moving on. Getting away from how things were when the stupid prank happened.<br/>
I: So you left Emily for Jessica?<br/>
M: I wish it didn’t sound so shitty, but yeah, I guess I did.<br/>
I: So after the two of them fought, where did you go?<br/>
M: Josh told us about a guest cabin that wasn’t far from the lodge. We figured we’d stay there for the rest of the night and join the others in the morning.<br/>
I: What happened once you were at the cabin?<br/>
M: Well, before we got there, some weird shit was going on. We thought...we found a deer that had been mauled nearly to death. And then- We thought a bear was what chased us to the cabin.<br/>
I: Thought?<br/>
M: These things are on the mountain, these Wendigos. They used to be people, but then they ate people and then- Then they start changing. Eyes go white, skin pulled against bones, fingernails and teeth grow out. They can only see movement, so unless you’re completely still, they’ll tear you apart.<br/>
I: And this...monster, is what chased you to the cabin?<br/>
M: We didn’t see it while we were running, but as the night went on, I realized that’s what it had to be. We thought we were safe when we were inside, but…<br/>
I: But what?<br/>
M: These things, they- They’re crazy smart, they know how to hunt us because they used to be us. It took Jess’ phone and threw it through one of the windows and she thought...she thought that the others followed us and were messing with us.<br/>
I: But that wasn’t the case?<br/>
M: She left the cabin to yell at them to leave us alone. And when she came back in, that’s when...it grabbed her through the damn window, pulled her through the glass.<br/>
I: Did you follow them?<br/>
M: I had to. I grabbed a gun that was hanging on the wall and ran after them, but they were moving so goddamn fast that I hardly caught a glimpse of them. Eventually, I- I followed them down, down into these mines.<br/>
I: Mines?<br/>
M: I just wasn't fast enough. I was so close, man. If I'd have just been... just a little faster I... I could have saved her... I could have saved her.<br/>
I: What happened?<br/>
M: It left her on the floor of an elevator. I tried- I tried to grab her, but the whole thing collapsed and...she was just gone.<br/>
I: What about the monster?<br/>
M: I tried shooting it, but it disappeared, so I tried following it. By the time I had climbed up and gone around the corner, I saw this man walking another direction.<br/>
I: Not the Wendigo?<br/>
M: No. I didn’t have a clue what was going on, I thought he had been the one that dragged her down there. I tried to shoot him, but thankfully, I was out of bullets.<br/>
I: Thankfully?<br/>
M: He ended up helping us later on. He’s probably the only reason we survived.<br/>
I: Where is he now?<br/>
M: Dead. Decapitated, hanging in the mines.<br/>
I: Oh…<br/>
M: I kept following him through the mines until eventually he led me out. On the other hill, he was going to the sanatorium. I think that’s where he lived.<br/>
I: And that’s when you returned to the lodge? To your friends?<br/>
M: ...no.<br/>
I: What? Why not?<br/>
M: Vengeance. Why else?<br/>
I: So, erm...you followed him to this abandoned insane asylum?<br/>
M: You make me sound like a fucking maniac, but yes.<br/>
I: I’m sorry, Michael, but you’re nineteen years old. You’ve had no military or police training, and you were just going to follow this man? What would you have done if you caught up to him?<br/>
M: I...I don’t know.<br/>
I: Do you know? Or do you not want to tell me?<br/>
M: Does it matter?<br/>
I: Legally, yes.<br/>
M: Then I don’t know if I would have killed him. I definitely felt like I was going to, but I never got close enough. I had to sneak around different ways because he had access cards while I didn’t. He had wolves on his side.<br/>
I: Wolves?<br/>
M: I made friends with one of them, but not until after he was gone. The rest were killed by the Wendigos.<br/>
I: When did you, um…<br/>
M: Lose the fingers? I was wandering my way around the place until I got to the morgue. There was a trap set up, probably meant for catching Wendigos, but my stupidass decided to go up to it anyway.<br/>
I: What kind of trap was this?<br/>
M: A severed hand was rigged up to wave back and forth every few seconds. There was a tag wrapped around its wrist and when I went to grab it, a bear trap snapped down on my fingers.<br/>
I: That’s...graphic.<br/>
M: We haven’t even gotten to the end of the night yet.<br/>
I: Right…<br/>
M: I heard the wolves close behind me, meanwhile I was stuck there bleeding all over the place. I had found a machete before coming in there and used that. I found the right keycard on one of the bodies in there and got out before the wolves caught up.<br/>
I: There are dead bodies in the sanatorium?<br/>
M: Plenty of them. Want me to tell you about all the reports and torture devices I found? I could go on and on about that if you’d like.<br/>
I: No...that’s okay..<br/>
M: Gotta make sure I’m not insane first, right?<br/>
I: Excuse me?<br/>
M: You’re gonna make us all get evaluated, make sure we weren’t all tripping on something? That we blew up a house and cut off our fingers and sacrificed our lives because we had a little too much to drink?<br/>
I: Michael-<br/>
M: Just wait until we all come up sober with clear minds. Then you’ll be dying to hear about the owner who poisoned himself while his patients were turning into Wendigos outside his office.<br/>
I: Michael, this has to stop.<br/>
M: What? I thought you wanted to hear about what happened?<br/>
I: I do, but this-<br/>
M: I think you made a mistake when you said this might be hard for me. You really should have been warning yourself, because I’ve got a whole lot more where that came from.</p>
<h4>Cut in the tape</h4>
<p>I: Have you calmed down now?<br/>
M: No, but by all means, go ahead. Ask away.<br/>
I: When did you leave the sanatorium?<br/>
M: I had found a revolver and a locked door, and when I shot off the lock, a fire started. It caught onto these barrels of gas or something and exploded.<br/>
I: You said we weren’t at the end of the night yet.<br/>
M: That’s because we’re not. This was at the sanatorium, not at the lodge. When I came to, I kept working my way through the building until eventually I found this tunnel.<br/>
I: Tunnel?<br/>
M: It was a straight shot from the sanatorium right to the hotel beneath the lodge. Confused? I was, too. At least until I found out they were owned by the same damn person.<br/>
I: What?<br/>
M: Jefferson Bragg. He was the one who killed himself in his office. He owned the hotel, the sanatorium, and the North West mines. My guess is that he had the tunnel made so he could go between them quickly.<br/>
I: And this...tunnel.. this is what led you to the others?<br/>
M: I made it to the hotel, but the door inside was blocked. I thought I was gonna be stuck there, but then I saw Sam through a grate in the wall. I grabbed her leg to catch her attention, and then...that’s when she started telling me about Josh.<br/>
I: What about him?<br/>
M: When I mentioned that there was a maniac on the mountain, she told me that he attacked her and showed her a video of Josh being killed. But then she said that she thought somehow he was involved in all of it.<br/>
I: What did you do?<br/>
M: She was able to unblock the door to let me inside. We started hearing Ashley and Chris, so we broke through a different one to the room where they were at.<br/>
I: What were they doing?<br/>
M: They had been tied up, they had saws hanging over them. Chris had a gun and when the maniac came out, he tried shooting him, but it turns out it was full of blanks. That’s...that’s when Josh took off the mask.<br/>
I: And what happened then?<br/>
M: He was out of his fucking mind. He wanted to hurt us. Yeah, he... and... I thought he was the one who attacked Jess.<br/>
I: So what did you do?<br/>
M: Chris and I, we took him to the shed so we could tie him up until we could call the police in the morning. We thought it was over, man. We finally thought it was over.<br/>
I: But it wasn’t?<br/>
M: Not long after I sent Chris back, I heard screaming. When I got back to the lodge, Emily was there and she had been freaking out, saying that some monster was chasing her. I thought- I thought that Josh had been messing with her and I didn’t...I didn’t believe her.<br/>
I: What changed your mind?<br/>
M: This man, he came to the door. When he came in, he pushed us all to the living room to tell us about the Wendigos. He turned out to be the guy that I had been following earlier. He seemed like an expert on those damn monsters, like nothing could beat him, but...he turned out to be just like the rest of us.<br/>
I: Oh?<br/>
M: He and Chris went after Josh in the shed. Chris came back alone with a fucked up leg and so damn horrified he could barely talk. We were all down in the basement and…<br/>
I: And?<br/>
M: Em, she.. she had gotten bitten by one of the Wendigos while running away and I- I had to…<br/>
I: Michael, what happened?<br/>
M: No, it was- It was nothing...I- I had to protect..<br/>
I: ...Is there something you want to tell us?<br/>
M: No. No... No it...<br/>
I: So it was you who broke up with her...?<br/>
M: No, it's... Okay, okay, you gotta understand. These things were... okay, they... they were confused... and- the circumstances were not normal-<br/>
I: You had a fight, you were angry-<br/>
M: Y- No! Yes, yes but no. Okay? Okay? It wasn't like that-<br/>
I: What was it like, Michael?<br/>
M: She was... she was infected! Okay? And- and- and we thought she'd turn into one. So, so what was I supposed to do? You know? I had to stop her. I had to keep her from changing!<br/>
I: But she wasn’t going to change.<br/>
M: ...what?<br/>
I: After you left to go find Josh and the key, the others started reading the old man’s book.<br/>
M: No, no.. she was- She was bitten and she-<br/>
I: It said that the bites weren’t infectious. Emily was not going to turn into a monster.<br/>
M: (breathing quickly) But- but he said- he said that it…<br/>
I: Michael? Michael, it’s okay. You didn’t know.<br/>
M: Em- Em was- She had.. I had the- the gun-<br/>
I: Okay, we need to stop again.</p>
<h4>Cut in the tape</h4>
<p>M: How much more of this do we have to do?<br/>
I: We’re almost done. If you’ve had enough for today, just tell me and we’ll call you in the future for the rest.<br/>
M: No...I- I can do it.<br/>
I: Are you sure?<br/>
M: Yes.<br/>
I: Alright.. Why were you going after Joshua?<br/>
M: He had the key for the cable car. Em said that they couldn’t come for us until morning and we didn’t- We didn’t know if we’d make it that long. She said that it seemed like the Wendigo lived in the mines and maybe- Maybe it took him down there.<br/>
I: I know this. I’m asking you <em>why.</em> Why did you decide <em>you</em> had to go there?<br/>
M: I- I had to save everyone...I had to get them out, and I..<br/>
I: You didn’t put them there, Michael. It wasn’t your job.<br/>
M: No, it- it had to be. It had to be me.<br/>
I: How did you go to the mines?<br/>
M: Through the same tunnel as before. I blocked the doors behind me because I didn’t want them to follow me.<br/>
I: The Wendigos?<br/>
M: No. The others.<br/>
I: Why is that?<br/>
M: What I saw...the sanatorium, it- It was really fucked up and.. I didn’t want any of them seeing it.<br/>
I: What did you see?<br/>
M: The old man, he had been trapping the Wendigos, keeping them in cages and I don’t even want to know why that place had them. There were so, so many...One of them- One of them got out, or.. Two of them did. They were coming after me and I thought- I thought for sure they would have killed me.<br/>
I: But they didn’t?<br/>
M: Sam had opened the main entrance, I guess it was blocked somehow. She helped distract them and then- Then I shot one of the barrels.<br/>
I: The barrels?<br/>
M: They were marked as flammable. Chris told us they hated fire, so..<br/>
I: Why do you sound guilty?<br/>
M: Because I am. When I did that, it- It opened the rest of the cages...let them all out.<br/>
I: How many?<br/>
M: Seven? At least? That’s.. that’s how some of them must have made it to the lodge…<br/>
I: Where did you and Samantha go?<br/>
M: To the mines, like I said. We- We found Josh eventually, but.. He was losing his mind, really. I’d never seen him like it before, it seemed like he was tripping. I had to hit him to get him out of it.<br/>
I: How did you get out?<br/>
M: We got to this rock wall and Sam- She wanted to let the others know we were okay, so she- She kept going and I.. I took him back the way we came…<br/>
I: Michael?<br/>
M: Josh helped us, and then... Fuck, man. That thing... okay, the Wendigo... It came out of the water and it just... I don't know. It grabbed me and it pulled me under, but then it let me go and went after him and I didn’t- I didn’t know what to do.. I was- I was…<br/>
I: Scared?<br/>
M: I could have- I could’ve saved him...I should have tried-<br/>
I: It isn’t your fault. You’re still a kid, you can’t be asked to-<br/>
M: Hannah...was still a kid…<br/>
I: Hannah? Hannah Washington?<br/>
M: (starting to cry) She.. she just…<br/>
I: Alright, this has to stop now. He’s had enough. Turn the damn camera off.</p>
<h4>Cut in the tape</h4>

  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Are you sure you weren't traumatized, Mike?</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. Sam | Room 1 | 11:02 AM</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>And then there was one...</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>I: I have to tell you, this may be a little rough. Some of your friends had to take breaks, others had to stop entirely after a while. But we need all the information you can give us, because we’re still missing a lot.<br/>
S: Just tell me what you need to know.<br/>
I: I want to start off with Joshua and why he wanted to have this get-together with all of you.<br/>
S: It’s kind of been a tradition for the past few years for a group of us to go up with the Washingtons. Chris, Mike and I were invited for New Year’s at the end of 2012. In February of 2014, their parents trusted them to come up by themselves for a weekend. The deal was, if it went smoothly, we could come up for longer than that, but then Hannah and Beth went missing. Josh dropped out of college not long after. Once most of us graduated that summer, we all kind of split when going to different universities. He wanted us all to get together like we used to.<br/>
I: And you and him were friends?<br/>
S: I thought we were close... After his sisters disappeared, he'd come and talk to me... He said I was the only one who understood him. I thought... I thought we had a connection.<br/>
I: If you need someone to talk to-<br/>
S: I'm fine.<br/>
I: Sometimes after a traumatic experience-<br/>
S: I said I'm fine.<br/>
I: Tell me how it was with everyone being back together again.<br/>
S: Pretty dynamic. Some of it was awkward, but things felt normal not long after we got there. Jess and Em were fighting, Matt was stuck between it, Chris was pulling pranks, and Ash was making googly eyes at him.<br/>
I: Do you know what time you split off from the others?<br/>
S: I think it was around 11.<br/>
I: How long do you think you were in the bath?<br/>
S: Too long. I should have known...I should have known something was wrong.<br/>
I: This isn’t your fault, Samantha.<br/>
S: (grimace) Don’t- It’s.. it’s just Sam.<br/>
I: Sorry.<br/>
S: I had my eyes closed and earbuds in, so I didn’t notice anything until the bathroom door slammed shut. I thought it was my friends messing around outside. When I got out, my clothes were gone. Then I thought they had taken them as a prank.<br/>
I: Are pranks like this the usual for your group?<br/>
S: Most of them. A lot are done by Josh and Chris, but occasionally Mike and Matt would join. I figured this was just another one of their dumb tricks. Out in the main room, there were all these candles and balloons with arrows pointing downstairs.<br/>
I: Did you follow them?<br/>
S: I still thought it was my friends. I didn’t think anything was wrong yet. When I walked into their home theater, the doors slammed shut behind me. The psycho, which turned out to be Josh, started talking. He...started playing a video..<br/>
I: A video? Of what?<br/>
S: Me...in the bath…<br/>
I: Oh..<br/>
S: It cut to Josh and it...showed him being cut in half. I thought- I thought that this maniac had killed him. He came out and I threw a vase at him before running away.<br/>
I: Where did you go?<br/>
S: The basement. I had gone down there with Josh earlier and saw a baseball bat that I eventually knocked him in the head with. I knew there was a lot of space down there and thought maybe I could find somewhere to hide.<br/>
I: And did you?<br/>
S: Through the cellar, I opened a door and fell into what was the hotel that was torn down for the lodge to be built. I guess they didn’t get all of it, because I ran until I found an elevator to hide in. By the time Josh got there, he had no clue where I’d gone, and he left.<br/>
I: Do you have any idea what time this was at?<br/>
S: Later on, I ended up finding Josh’s cellphone. That was around 3:15, so sometime between then and midnight.<br/>
I: Josh’s phone? What did it say?<br/>
S: They were text messages from someone named Dr. Alan Hill. Apparently he had told this doctor about some plan, but he didn’t think it would help. When he asked if Josh was still taking his medication, he told him to leave him alone.<br/>
I: Did you find anything else of his?<br/>
S: There was a file of psychiatric reports, talking about the different doctors he’d seen and medications he had taken. He was supposed to be taking something called Phenelzine and the symptoms listed for withdrawal sounded a lot like what Josh was having.<br/>
I: Do you remember what it described?<br/>
S: Insomnia, aggression, hallucinations, slurred speech. He seemed to get worse the longer the night went on, so he must have stopped taking it not all that long ago.<br/>
I: That’s very helpful, thank you.<br/>
S: There were also these plans, kind of like the machine that was shown in the video where Josh was killed. It showed two people tied up against a wall or backboard, except one of them was a dummy. The person stood behind the wall and put their head through a hole to make it look like it was really them. I think that’s how Josh faked his death.<br/>
I: What happened next?<br/>
S: I was going to leave the room I was in when someone grabbed my ankle, but it turned out to be Mike. He had come through the tunnel from the sanatorium and I was able to unblock the door that kept him out.<br/>
I: Where did the two of you go?<br/>
S: We heard Ashley and Chris yelling, so we broke down a door to get to them. The maniac came out and Chris tried to shoot him with the gun he had, but it was full of blanks. That’s when he took off the mask…<br/>
I: Did he tell you why he did all of this?<br/>
S: I think he was trying to get revenge.<br/>
I: Revenge? For what?<br/>
S: For his sisters.. Most of the group pulled a really terrible prank on Hannah, and that’s why she ran away, and why...Beth followed her.<br/>
I: What did you do then?<br/>
S: Michael thought that Josh had killed Jessica and I’ve never seen him so angry. He was pretty quick to knock him out. We stayed in the lodge while he and Chris took him to the shed. Not long after Chris came back, we heard Emily screaming outside.<br/>
I: Emily?<br/>
S: Ashley told me that she and Matt had gone to call for help. Once we got her inside, she said something about a monster that was chasing her. She told us they went to the fire tower, but it fell down into these mine shafts that run under the whole mountain. And she.. she found some things that…<br/>
I: Sam? Do you need to take a break?<br/>
S: No, I just- (breathes deeply) I’m okay.<br/>
I: We can stop.<br/>
S: (shakes head) No. We can keep going.<br/>
I: ..what did Emily find?<br/>
S: She- It...it was Beth’s head..<br/>
I: Sam, do you-<br/>
S: They.. they found her phone and...Emily thought that Hannah- That maybe she didn’t die, not right away…<br/>
I: Let’s move on, alright? Tell me about the man that came to the lodge.<br/>
S: He, um- He was old and he had greying, thinning hair. He was carrying a flamethrower and he started telling us about the monster that had been chasing Emily, it’s called a Wendigo.<br/>
I: A Wendigo?<br/>
S: He told us about a curse on the mountain, that if anybody became a cannibal, then its spirit would release. He said to wait in the basement until the park rangers came in the morning. He and Chris went to go find Josh, but.. Chris came back alone.<br/>
I: The stranger was killed?<br/>
S: Chris said the Wendigo tore him apart. We started looking through the flamethrower guy’s bag to see if he had anything that could help us. He had a map of the mountain, pointing out the lodge, guest cabin, cable car, sanatorium, tunnel, and mine entrances. Mike, he talked about how they knew the mines were unstable, but they let the miners keep working. He said there was a cave-in where fifteen of them were killed, that the whole story was covered up. That’s when Ash...saw the blood on Emily’s jacket..<br/>
I: The bite?<br/>
S: Yeah. Ashley nearly started having a panic attack and Mike...he..<br/>
I: We already know, Sam. You don’t have to be worried about hiding the truth.<br/>
S: He...he was going to kill her if I didn’t- I tried to grab his arm and he was <em>shaking.</em> He was so scared.. He wanted her to leave on her own so he didn’t have to, but when she wouldn’t- He wanted to protect us, I know he would never have done that if she hadn’t gotten bitten. You have to believe me. He might be impulsive, but he’s a good guy. You can’t let anything happen to him.<br/>
I: It’s up to Emily to decide if she wants to press charges.<br/>
S: Oh, shit...am I going to be able to talk to her?<br/>
I: As soon as we’re finished here, you’ll get to see everyone. Yours is the last story we need.<br/>
S: Okay..<br/>
I: Do you want to keep going? Or are you done?<br/>
S: Let’s keep going.<br/>
I: Why did Michael want to leave the basement?<br/>
S: He hated the thought of being trapped, he had to do something or he’d drive himself crazy. He’s never been one to sit around and wait. He decided he was going to find Josh because he had the key for the cable car.<br/>
I: But Josh was gone from the shed?<br/>
S: While Emily was in the mines, she said that it seemed like that’s where at least one of the Wendigos lived.<br/>
I: Do you know how many Wendigos there are?<br/>
S: More than three. It was enough to scare Michael shitless.<br/>
I: He didn’t say how many there were?<br/>
S: Just that there were too many. After he left, Ashley started reading the old guy’s book and she eventually saw that the bites were harmless. Emily slapped her and that’s when I started reading.<br/>
I: What did you read, Sam? No one knew why you suddenly became so desperate to find Mike.<br/>
S: It said that the mountain was sacred to a tribe that lived on it. I think it was the 1890s that the miners came and started working, and that’s when the curse started. It talked about the Wendigos not being able to see you if you’re standing still and that you couldn’t cut or stab them because their skin was so tough. That you could only slow them down with a shotgun. He had only taken a machete, that was it.<br/>
I: So you wanted to warn him and tell him to come back?<br/>
S: That’s not everything. The Wendigos, they’re mutated from humans, so they can mimic us perfectly and use that to draw people in. What I was mostly worried about is that the book said not to kill them unless you had no other choice.<br/>
I: Why?<br/>
S: If you kill them, their spirit gets released back into the air and waits to possess someone else. That if someone has gone days without food and they’re cold and starving, it will start to control them, and it can’t be stopped. I wanted to try and stop it from taking someone over again…<br/>
I: This is why you went after Michael?<br/>
S: If we didn’t stop it, who was going to? You? All of you look at us like we’re insane. You think we don’t notice, but we see it. And how much should we bet you’re not going to listen to a thing we have to say until our blood comes back clean?<br/>
I: I’m sorry.<br/>
S: You need to listen to me. I don't care if you believe me or not. Doesn't matter because you will. You need to go down to the mines.<br/>
I: What's in the mines, Sam?<br/>
S: (grimace) I've seen what's down there... and I'd give anything to unsee it.<br/>
I: Can you tell me what you saw?<br/>
S: After I sent Ashley, Chris and Emily back to the lodge, I made it to the sanatorium. The front doors were barricaded and when I went inside, Mike was being attacked. I had a pipe that I used to hit the thing and we ran to the door. He shot one of the flammable barrels and the whole place went up.. So much for trying to stop the curse…<br/>
I: You went into the mines afterwards?<br/>
S: Yeah. Mike started telling me about how a miner had been rescued from a cave-in in the 1950s, along with pictures of him turning into a Wendigo. He didn’t want to go further into it, but he said he saw some really messed up shit.<br/>
I: Did you find Josh?<br/>
S: We did eventually, but...before we did, we found.. We found a grave.<br/>
I: A grave?<br/>
S: (tearing up) Beth’s...her watch was there and- and so was a cross.. But her grave- Someone dug it up…<br/>
I: Dug it up? Who?<br/>
S: (voice breaks) Hannah…<br/>
I: Wait.. what?<br/>
S: We found...we found a journal and- Beth.. died in the fall, and Hannah- She just...she.. was controlled..by the spirit.<br/>
I: Sam…<br/>
S: She became a Wendigo…<br/>
I: Oh...my..<br/>
S: (wipes eyes) I think I’m done now..</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>And there you have it! The interviews of our survivors have been completed...</p><p>...or have they?</p><p>Coming tomorrow (9/5/2020) will be the prologue to my new fanfiction, After Dawn. Our favorite characters may have been rescued, but the terrors from Blackwood Mountain are far from over.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
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